


the rays of the sun

by otshineon (alexscarlet)



Series: crop top jonghyun challenge [2]
Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Magic, Elemental Magic, Fae & Fairies, Fae Jonghyun, Fae Magic, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fun, Genderfluid, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Taemin, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Light Angst, Magic-Users, Magical Creatures, Multi, NaNoWriMo, Romance, Spells & Enchantments, This Is STUPID, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Jonghyun, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 09:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5158535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexscarlet/pseuds/otshineon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>There’s a moment where their gazes meet, and then the other sprite jumps back, going a tiny bit pink themselves. Nearly the same pink as their pastel pink curls."</em>
</p><p>In which Junghee is a sassy faery and Tae is too beautiful. Minho suffers, Key is sulking, Jinki the warlock is mentioned in passing.</p><p>Oh, and Junghee sparkles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the rays of the sun

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of Nano 2k15. I'm going a whole collection of stories, so look out for other ones from me this month! This was super fun to write, please enjoy!

“Pick up the sword.”

 

Junghee raises an eyebrow and glances down at the aforementioned sword, where it has been thrown to lie, glinting amongst the fallen leaves.

 

“Are you kidding me?” She sneers.

 

“Did I stutter?”

 

Junghee brings a hand up to rub at her temples. “I’m done. I’m done. This again?”

 

The light of the forest filters through the high canopy and Junghee is in a patch of shade, which is totally unacceptable. She needs sunlight; not only does it lend her strength but it makes her sparkle and Junghee loves sparkling. The whole situation is unacceptable, really.

 

“This is a serious matter.”

 

Junghee wraps her arms around the nearest tree and bashes her head against it.

 

“Minho, please, I am not going unicorn hunting with you.”

 

The salamander pouts, sitting down sulkily on a conveniently placed tree stump, folding his dark limbs in close.

 

“But, Jungie, you promised I could choose the activity today.”

 

“I also warned you that I’m not doing physical exercise! Yesterday was _exhausting_. Do you know how stressful-Of course you don’t.” Junghee flaps her wings and flies into the beam of sunlight beside Minho, who considerately holds his palm out for her to alight upon. As the sun’s rays touch her, Junghee feels a little energy boost and, when she looks down, is temporarily mollified by the pretty glitter of her skin in the light. Then she realises Minho is looking down at her expectantly, so she glowers up at him. “All the portals closed up and I was stuck on the planet solely inhabited by cats.”

 

Minho’s face lights up. “I love that planet!”

 

Junghee stamps her foot hard enough to make Minho wince. “It’s far less loveable when every denizen is trying to eat you.”

 

Minho, despite his bizarre obsession with sports (such as the ever-popular water-walking races and letting-a-unicorn-go-then-finding-it-again-using-magical-swords-as-a-compass-just-for-fun), is one of the few chivalrous salamanders around; so he apologises for his lack of empathy and promptly insists Junghee choose their weekly endeavour.

 

“Are you sure?” She flutters both eyelashes and gauzy wings at him.

 

Minho is suitably charmed. “Of course, Jungie.”

 

“Ok, let’s go and find that moura encantada.” Minho lightly pinches her leg as she tries to fly off as quickly as possible to avoid just this.

 

“Junghee, you know what they’re like…” He scolds. “They’re path-guardians known for being dangerously seductive and extremely devious.”

 

Junghee scowls furiously because does she look stupid? Of course she knows what the moura encantada are like; she’d once been late for one of Key’s infamous parties because the dogmatic warden hadn’t let her take the right path until she’d recited a poem in Gaelic. Junghee didn’t know any poems in Gaelic - was that something people just know? does Junghee need to brush up on her Gaelic? - so she had had to use her special mirror to call Jinki and get the warlock’s advice. He was such a useful associate. (Not that Junghee _uses_ him, please she is not that crude, and she does have a basic idea of the concepts of ‘friendship’ and ‘loyalty’. She has plenty of comrades _,_ thank you very much.)

 

Speaking of, Junghee needs to get Key a present as appeasement. The nymph still refuses to talk to Junghee and turns bright purple in anger whenever Junghee approaches. Quite literally. (It is a bit tedious but Junghee won’t give in because she’s known Key since they were both tiny little sapling sprites.)

 

“I know. But I need to grab something from their world anyway, so we might as well swing by and at least snatch a glimpse?”

 

Minho sighs. “Why are you so cute and so gay?”

 

Junghee decides to focus on the former half of that rhetorical question because she is definitely not crushing on the gorgeous moura encantada, nope. She _is_ cute though. “My beauty routine is very thorough.” So it should be; she learnt from the best. Really, she should have gotten Key a gift far earlier. The list of things Key has done for her is frankly embarrassingly long. Junghee wonders when in the past hundred or so years she became so morally corrupt and disinterested in integrity; she can just about remember a time when being in somebody’s debt would make her terribly agitated. Maybe her memory is going a bit. (The thought makes her a little sad.) Fussing with her skirt, Junghee offers Minho her hand impatiently.

 

Minho rolls his eyes - looks like he’s been spending time with Key too, interesting - and dutifully places his index finger in Junghee’s hand.

 

Junghee awkwardly pulls her wand out of her bra - honestly, how many years has she been doing this? how many? - and pauses before waving it. “Can I change into something prettier first?”

 

Minho groans.

 

Junghee takes that as a yes.

 

\---

 

“I feel personally insulted.”

 

Junghee shushes him with a dismissive wave of her tiny hand.

 

“Please Minho, I’m trying to spy here.” She goes back to peering between the green leaves of the bush they’re hiding behind. The moura encantada is singing softly as they brush their long pink hair.

 

“This is _our_ time. We’ve been scheduling this time aside for each other every week for the last quarter of a century and now you’re discarding me like this…”

 

Because Minho is somewhat fragile and his eyes grow to ridiculous proportions when he’s upset and if angry has a tendency to burst into flames, Junghee leaves off the espionage for a while.

 

“I’m really sorry. I really enjoy spending the time with you. I just…they’re just so beautiful?”

 

Because Minho is also easily pacified and seems to just like being in Junghee’s company, he smiles and shuffles closer.

 

“Here, you can perch on my shoulder. You must be getting tired.”

 

Junghee refrains from reminding him that flying for faeries is like breathing, requiring hardly any effort, because it’s a sweet gesture. Thus, she sits on his shoulder, glad he’s wearing a shirt for once because his bare skin is a bit hot, and resumes her spying.

 

It’s very confusing because where she had a perfect view, just a few moments ago, of the ethereal moura encantada where they were splashing around in the river (the droplets of water created a rainbow around them and Junghee maybe fell in love a little bit), there is now only black.

 

“What-“

 

“I thought somebody was looking!”

 

Ever so slowly, Junghee looks up.

 

The moura encantada is standing on the other side of the bush with their pink-haired head peering over the top, looking down at them curiously.

 

Beneath Junghee’s bottom, Minho’s shoulder is increasing in temperature, probably because the poor lad is embarrassed. Junghee is pretty mortified herself.

 

“Um?” Is all she manages, and then the moura encantada makes a little noise of surprise - adorable - and focuses on her.

 

“It wasn’t me! Take the tiny one!” Minho cries suddenly, shattering the awkward silence. He grabs Junghee and shoves her up in the other sprite’s face. Junghee pinches his thumb so he lets go. Before she can yell at him for being so rough, he sets himself on fire and disappears in a puff of dark smoke.

 

Junghee mutters angrily to herself, fixing her hair and straightening out her skirt and crop top.

 

She loves this crop top so much because it’s pale turquoise (Key says blue is her colour and Junghee agrees), and all jagged and rough at the hem, and when she flies in the sunlight it shows off her sparkly belly.

 

A gasp snaps Junghee out of her self-admiration and she remembers the situation and flushes an embarrassingly bright pink.

 

The moura encantada has beautiful eyes. Junghee realises this as those very eyes, endlessly deep, dark brown, study her in awe. Their hand comes up and a tentative finger sneaks forward, then hovers, quivering, just in front of Junghee’s shimmering stomach.

 

There’s a moment where their gazes meet, and then the other sprite jumps back, going a tiny bit pink themselves. Nearly the same pink as their pastel pink curls.

 

That blush gives Junghee the confidence to fly out into the clearing by the riverside and say, “Hi! I’m Junghee.”

 

“Hello Junghee. I’m Tae.” Their voice is soft and gentle and there’s this hint of cheekiness underneath that makes Junghee even more intrigued.

 

“No you’re not, you’re gorgeous.” Junghee retorts, before her brain catches up with her mouth and she wonders when this torturous blushing thing will end.

 

Tae seems delighted though, eyes sparking and a pleased, bashful smile tucking into the corners of their full lips. So Junghee guesses it counts as a win.

 

“Thanks. You’re really pretty too.” Tae pauses, teeth biting into those sinfully pink lips, and then continues nervously. (They’re nervous! Junghee thinks, finally accepting that she’s falling for the beautiful creature in front of her, twisting their fingers together shyly despite the mischievous shine in their eyes.) “You sparkle.” They breath, and their whisper is mint-scented and Junghee is in love, full stop. “Sparkle! It’s so pretty. Your tummy is so pretty.”

 

The crop top can definitely be categorised as one of Junghee’s Best Ideas.

 

“You can touch if you want.” She encourages.

 

Tae openly gapes, then pulls themself together. “Thank you.” Their fingertip is soft and warm against Junghee’s tummy and their fingernails are painted black and Junghee wants more, wants Tae to touch her more so she flutters backwards.

 

Tae’s face falls. “Sorry, did I poke you too hard?”

 

Junghee laughs. “No, sweetheart, I just need a bit of space.”

 

Tae’s lips form an ‘oh’. “Sometimes I need space too. That’s one of the reasons I come here, because it’s so peaceful.”

 

Junghee stares at Tae, at the way they glance around the clearing so fondly, then blinks. “That’s sweet, but I meant it slightly differently.” Making sure she’s in the sun so she has extra power, Junghee pulls her wand out of her bra again (not as awkward this time, nice one Junghee). Then she waves it in a complicated symbol thing, there’s a bright flash of light and the air hums with magic.

 

When Tae opens their eyes again, there’s a full-sized Junghee in front of them. An appreciate moan is dragged from the back of their throat. “Now you’re bigger there’re even more sparkles!”

 

“I can actually do more than just sparkle.” Junghee says, when Tae looks just about ready to sink to their knees and nuzzle against Junghee’s tummy. Which. Junghee wouldn’t complain, per se, but she’d like to progress a bit.

 

Tae blinks at her. “You do more than sparkle and do magic and look beautiful and flirt sassily?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Moreover, you want to flirt with me?”

 

“Does it look like there’s anyone else here? Why _wouldn’t_ I want to flirt with you?”

 

“I don’t think I can handle this.” Tae does actually look rather overwhelmed.

 

“Well, it’s not like the magic is that new, considering how you often trap travellers until they can answer your riddle or break your spell and guard magically cross-universe pathways…”

 

Tae is pulling a rather odd face.

 

They appear torn between worry and amusement, eyes cautious but lip quivering with held back laughter.

 

“What.”

 

“It’s just, I don’t do any of that.” Junghee knew Tae was a nice moura encantada. That’ll show Minho- “I don’t know where you got the impression I was…”

 

“A moura encantada?” Junghee offers. Did she really guess Tae’s faery-type incorrectly?

 

“Because I’m actually a human.”

 

Junghee freezes. “No way.”

 

Tae nods shyly. “Yeah.” They glance up through their pink bangs and fluttery, long eyelashes and Junghee notices the tense lines to their shoulders and pulls herself together. It’s a shock but…

 

“How can a human be so beautiful?” Tae relaxes instantly, melting into a smile that crinkles their eyes.

 

“How can a faery be so human-sized?”

 

“I’m special.” Junghee laughs. (She worked really, really hard on shape-shifting magic for many decades, and it looks like the work was finally worth it. This and the fact that Junghee is able to maintain a feminine form.)

 

“You are.” Tae agrees. “I’m not, though. Are you sure you still want to talk to me? Even though I’m not whatever creature you thought I was? Even though I don’t sparkle or do magic or-?”

 

“Actually, I was thinking we could cuddle and maybe lie in the sunlight so you can play with my sparkly tummy and compliment my wardrobe decisions as we get to know each other better.”

 

Tae catches their breath.

 

“That sounds…”

 

“Good?”

 

“Really good.”


End file.
